Diagnostic and Interventional CardiologyThe Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions recently announced the launch of TRAnsition for VALUE, a multifaceted educational initiative supported by Medtronic, to inform cardiologists, hospital administrators and cath lab staff about the benefits of expanding the adoption of transradial (wrist access) PC in the U.S.
Approximately 70 percent of PCI procedures in the U.S. are performed through transfemoral (groin area) access. READ MORE

TCTMDMost interventional cardiologists believe that public reporting of PCI outcomes leads to avoidance of procedures and upcoding of patient clinical comorbidities, according to a survey of practitioners in New York and Massachusetts. Currently, both Massachusetts and New York are among the states that collect and report risk-adjusted mortality data at the hospital and physician levels for patients undergoing PCI after some exclusions. While these programs were designed to increase transparency, improve outcomes and reduce harm, interventional cardiologists have expressed concern in the past about unintended consequences of public reporting. Specifically, the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions released a statement last year suggesting changes like transitioning from procedure- to disease-based reporting and de-emphasizing risk-adjusted mortality as a primary metric.READ MORE

TCTMDIn 12 U.S. cities, the implementation of regionalized treatment protocols to diagnose and treat acute myocardial infarction led to significant declines in treatment times, according to the results of a new study.
In addition to an improvement in the time from first medical contact to device implantation across several U.S. regions, researchers also observed significant reductions in the risks of mortality and heart failure.
Kirk Garratt, MD, president of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions, was also impressed with the results. Speaking with TCTMD, he noted that the first phase of the Mission: Lifeline project demonstrated that it was possible to implement processes of care, but the overall results were somewhat underwhelming.READ MORE

SCAIResearchers aimed to determine clinical outcomes one year after successful chronic total occlusion PCI and, in particular, whether use of dissection and re-entry strategies affects clinical outcomes. Hybrid approaches have increased the procedural success of CTO PCI but longer-term outcomes are unknown, particularly in relation to dissection and re-entry techniques. Data were collected for consecutive CTO PCIs performed by hybrid-trained operators from 7 United Kingdom centers between 2012 and 2014. The primary endpoint (death, myocardial infarction, unplanned target vessel revascularization) was measured at 12 months along with angina status. One-year follow up data were available for 96 percent of successful cases.READ MORE

HealioPatients with lesions in femoropopliteal vessels with a diameter smaller than 4 millimeters who were treated with balloon angioplasty alone had improved primary patency compared with those treated with routine or bailout stenting, according to an analysis published in Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions.
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SCAIRebecca Murphy is a certificated meeting professional with 10 years of experience in the meeting and events industry. In her new role, Ms. Murphy will oversee hotel contracting for meetings and events, meeting logistics for Scientific Sessions and regional programs. Rebecca holds a bachelor's degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management from the University of Massachusetts, Isenberg School of Business.

TCTMDOnly a minority of patients in their 50s or younger who experience a first myocardial infarction are on statin therapy prior to their event, according to new data from the YOUNG-MI Registry. Even more striking, researchers say, is that among those not on the drugs, more than half wouldn't have met the guideline-specified criteria for statin therapy in the first place.
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PulsaraSt. Elizabeth Healthcare, in Edgewood, Kentucky, serves a population of more than 400,000 across the Greater Cincinnati area, from Northern Kentucky to Indiana and Ohio. At St. Elizabeth, like most health systems in the U.S., there was no overarching way to organize all the different cardiac team members and stakeholders, which could cause treatment delays and disorganization. After adopting a set of recommended changes in the process of responding to heart attack patients including the implementation of Pulsara, the time from first medical contact to the moment of artery-opening treatment dropped 30 percent. See the full story here.READ MORE

Cardiovascular BusinessPercutaneous coronary intervention of chronic total occlusions (CTOs) can be safely performed by expert operators and provides significant benefit to patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction or diabetes, according to a series of studies published Nov. 13.
The studies and related editorials, which were available online before print publication, signal promise for the treatment of CTOs. Here is a rundown of the findings from three studies.
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Cardiovascular BusinessHospitals ranked in the top 50 for cardiology and heart surgery by U.S. News and World Report appear no better at performing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) than unranked hospitals, according to an analysis of more than 500,000 procedures performed at 654 hospitals.
After adjusting for patient case mix, researchers found similar rates of in-hospital mortality, acute kidney injury and post-procedural bleeding in ranked and unranked hospitals. Top-ranked hospitals had a slightly lower proportion of appropriate PCI procedures (89.2 percent versus 92.8 percent) when compared to nonranked hospitals.
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Medscape Two novel imaging systems that use angiographic information and hemodynamic modeling to emulate pressure-wire measurements were shown to provide diagnostic information about coronary stenosis in patients with angina that is on a par with that obtained through the more invasive fractional flow reserve technique.
The studies — FAVOR II China and FAVOR II Europe-Japan — used different quantitative flow ratio systems to assess stenosis without a pressure wire and without inducing hyperemia.READ MORE

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